Welcome to the Mad in America podcast, a new weekly discussion that searches for the truth about psychiatric prescription drugs and mental health care worldwide.

This podcast is part of Mad in America’s mission to serve as a catalyst for rethinking psychiatric care. We believe that the current drug-based paradigm of care has failed our society and that scientific research, as well as the lived experience of those who have been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder, calls for profound change.

On the podcast over the coming weeks, we will have interviews with experts and those with lived experience of the psychiatric system.

Thank you for joining us as we discuss the many issues around rethinking psychiatric care around the world.

This week on MIA Radio, we
interview Tina Minkowitz. Tina is an attorney and survivor of
psychiatry who represented the World Network for Users and
Survivors of Psychiatry in the drafting and negotiation of the
United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities. Tina is a strong proponent for the abolition of all
forced psychiatric interventions and played a major role in
attaining a shift in international law in favor of such a ban.

In this interview, we talk about
how the United Nations came to support the abolition of forced
psychiatric treatment and why Tina believes that abolition of
forced treatment, not reform, is necessary.

In this episode we
discuss:

How Tina came to be interested
in the intersection of international human rights law, disability
rights law, and the issue of forced psychiatric
treatment

Why Tina believes in the
abolition, not reform, of forced psychiatric treatment

That the threat of forced
treatment against some psychiatric survivors can be traumatic to
the entire survivor community

The barriers to the abolition of
forced treatment, including public perceptions of people
labeled mentally ill and lack
of awareness of non-coercive
alternatives

That advocacy is needed to
eliminate the 72-hour hold, not just ECT, forced drugging, or
outpatient commitment

Why forced treatment constitutes
physical violence

That we don’t need to put in
place alternatives to the current mental health system in order to
demand an immediate stop to forced treatment

How mental health policy
should center what we now
consider alternative practices, such as peer-run services, hearing
voices groups, and in-home supports

How the issue of forced
treatment fits within the disability rights framework

Tina’s current activities with
the Center for the Human Rights of Users and Survivors of
Psychiatry

About the Podcast

Welcome to the Mad in America podcast, a new weekly discussion that searches for the truth about psychiatric prescription drugs and mental health care worldwide.
This podcast is part of Mad in America’s mission to serve as a catalyst for rethinking psychiatric care and mental health. We believe that the current drug-based paradigm of care has failed our society and that scientific research, as well as the lived experience of those who have been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder, calls for profound change.
On the podcast over the coming weeks, we will have interviews with experts and those with lived experience of the psychiatric system. Thank you for joining us as we discuss the many issues around rethinking mental health around the world.
For more information visit madinamerica.com
To contact us email podcasts@madinamerica.com